Blessed
by TabbyShhh
Summary: Take care of the burdens you receive, they are blessings in disguise. Sam/Dean SLASH MPreg
1. Chapter 1

Sam swung open the door to their latest motel room, watching as Dean predictably went through his routine of making the place a safe haven for them. Somewhere to rest and regroup no matter what they might face in the next few days.

His precautions dealt with, Dean stripped off his boots and climbed onto the bed, sitting in the middle with his knees pulled against his chest and his head down so his face was hidden from view.

Sam couldn't help but frown. Dean had been doing this more and more lately. Sam remembered him doing it when they were younger, remembered being frightened because his older brother was blocking him out, something he never did. Sam ached to touch Dean, to pull him into his arms or even just stroke his back soothingly but that wasn't allowed. The only time he had tried Dean had just got up and left. He'd been gone for two days and when he came back he'd acted as though nothing was wrong.

Dean had started doing it again when they had finally managed to find their father and Sam wished he could shake off the lingering sense of unease that that thought brought with it. He knew Dean had protected him from their father a lot when they were younger. Shielded him from the violent outbursts, the drunkenness, the caustic criticism. Sometimes he had fleeting memories that he couldn't quite grasp, that reminded him that Dean had protected him from something much worse.

He swallowed back the feeling of revulsion as he remembered waking up in the days after they found their father, to find him standing in front of Dean who was wearing only a pair of low slung jeans. He had had his hand on Dean's face and Dean had been looking at the floor, holding almost impossibly still. The words he'd heard would never leave his mind. "You're a good boy aren't you, Dean?" His father had asked. "Yes, sir." Dean sounded years younger as he whispered the response. "Go on then." Their father had instructed. "Not here." Dean's voice was pleading. "Don't want your precious Sammy to see?" Their father had mocked. Dean just shook his head and their father had laughed leading Dean, still half naked, out of the motel room. Recalling the shadows in his brother's eyes later that day Sam wished he hadn't pretended to be asleep.

Their father was gone now. Dean had been absolutely shattered by his death, abuser or not he was the only father Dean had ever known and he had always clung to the belief that he was loved in his father's own way. Had always tried to convince Sam of it. So there was no-one to be angry with, no one to blame for the way Dean retreated in on himself.

"Hey." Sam looked up at the sound of Dean's voice and realised his brother had moved. He looked tired but there was no evidence of tears, this time at least.

"Hey." Sam made himself smile and move away from the laptop to kiss Dean softly. "You want to get something to eat and then call it a night? We've been driving all day."

"Sure." Dean nodded agreeably and Sam took his hand to pull him into a standing position, pulling him straight into his embrace. "Ok, Sammy?" Dean sounded concerned and pushed Sam back by his shoulders so he could look at him properly.

"Yeah." Sam grinned. "Just tired, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." Dean let Sam kiss him again before manoeuvring himself out of his embrace to grab his jacket.

Sam watched Dean as they ate, knowing he was annoying him and still getting that younger brother thrill from irritating his older sibling. Dean seemed to be happy enough, flirting with the waitress, and earning them a free basket of fries for his trouble, and talking when he had something to say. He wasn't particularly talkative, but then Dean never was big on words.

Their relationship had a taken a turn pretty much as soon as Sam had joined Dean on the road to search for their dad, probably only a couple of months after Jess's death. It was Sam who had pushed for it, kept pushing even when Dean had said no repeatedly. Yeah, Sam had pushed for it and, as always, Dean had given him what he wanted in the end. And Dean suffered for it.

"Look." Sam showed Dean a copy of the newspaper that had been sitting at their table when they arrived. "Another one."

"This is just ridiculous." Dean glared at him. "We're not investigating it. Men DO NOT get pregnant. It's not our kind of problem, these people need psychological help. The tabloids are always filled with this crap."

"It's not a tabloid, Dean." Sam told him carefully. Dean had been refusing to even consider investigating the spate of male pregnancies that had been reported all over the country. "It's the New York Post."

"What?" Dean snatched the paper away from him and read the article before throwing it back at Sam with a disgusted sneer.

"Now can we investigate it?"

"Sure, Sam, where would you like to start?" Dean snarked. "The first guy was in Oklahoma. Second in Oregon, then Wisconsin. They're appearing all over the place with no rhyme or reason."

"We can look for a pattern." Sam pleaded.

"Don't give me that crap, Sam, I know you've already been looking for one." Dean glared at him, almost smiling when Sam looked guilty. "In the past 6 months more than 200 guys have gotten "pregnant" all over the US, Canada and Europe and God only knows where else that's just not admitting it. I don't know, could just be some freaky medical thing."

"All of a sudden?" Sam asked. "When is it ever a freaky medical thing?" He smiled, reminding Dean of one of his own favourite comments.

"There's nothing we can do, Sammy." Dean sighed. "Until one of these kids is born so we can see what we're dealing with."

"You think they might be demons or something?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"I don't know what the hell to think, Sam." Dean shook his head tiredly.

"I still think we should look into it." Sam pushed, as usual.

"You would." Dean glared at him before standing up and throwing some cash down on the table. "Stubborn ass." Sam grinned before following him.

"You love my ass." He crowed once they were in the parking lot, Dean storming ahead to the motel. Dean shook his head but smiled nonetheless. Sam closed the motel

door behind them.

"One of the first guys was in South Carolina right? It won't take us long to get there." Sam pleaded.

"You don't think he's got enough on his plate without us harassing him?" Dean sat down on the bed and Sam moved to sit next to him quickly, to stop him moving to the middle of the bed and blocking himself off.

"Not as much as he's going to have on his plate if he gives birth to a demon." Sam sighed. "Can you imagine it? There's been over 200 _reported_ cases so far. Like you said, we don't know how many others aren't admitting it. If they were all demons? Even all half breeds….Jesus, Dean, they'd have a natural human form so we wouldn't be able to exorcise them. We'd have to kill them. Human children. Could you do that?"

"And what are we supposed to do if we think they're demons now, Sam? Perform backstreet abortions?" Dean shuddered.

"We'd have the chance to think of something. Please?" Sam begged. "Like you said, it might just be some freaky medical thing."

Dean shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's never a medical thing."


	2. Chapter 2

They spent the next two days driving to Aynor, the small town in South Carolina with a population of less than 600 where the 11th guy to get pregnant lived. Dean had bitched and moaned all the way that they were wasting their time. Sam had valiantly ignored him while trying to find a pattern or some kind of connection between the men who had fallen pregnant.

"Anything?" Dean asked, as they finally crossed the border in South Carolina.

"No." Sam replied, frustrated by his inability to find anything that might help them. "Other than the fact that they were all in sexual relationships with guys…"

"Guess we know who the bottoms were in those relationships." Dean smirked.

"You're one to talk." Sam had said it before he could stop himself and flinched at the heat behind Dean's glare.

"Well,…" Dean started. Sam interrupted him immediately before he had chance to withdraw sex for the foreseeable future.

"Dean, I am not complaining. Believe me." Sam grinned at his brother who closed his mouth and turned his glare to the road ahead. "I'm just saying that the fact that they

were bottoms, _some of the time_, doesn't really tell us much."

"Whatever." Dean grunted. Sam grinned and reached out a hand to link his fingers with Dean's, relaxing when the touch wasn't rejected. They drove on in silence for a while, Sam running the facts of the case over in his mind and enjoying watching Dean. The only time his older brother seemed to be at peace lately was when he was driving.

"What the hell…?!" Dean snatched his hand away from Sam to grip the steering wheel and slammed his brakes on so hard Sam was damn glad he was wearing his seatbelt. "You ok?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. "What…?" He started to ask but Dean was out of the car before he could finish.

"Hey, lady!" He heard him calling. Sam jumped out of the car to see what was going on. Just a few feet from the hood of the car there was a woman dressed in white with her back to them. Sam hoped to God they weren't dealing with another "Woman in white", they freaked him out. "What the hell are you doing?" Dean demanded. "You can't just stand in the middle of the road like that; I nearly knocked you down." Sam watched as the woman turned to face Dean and his brother stopped in his tracks.

"Dean." Her voice was gentle but sounded odd, foreign and distant.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's not important."

"It's damn well important to me if you know my name." Dean retorted. Sam wanted to move towards his brother, to calm him, but couldn't make his body respond.

"You're lovely." She told him.

"Ummm, thanks." Dean looked a little confused but managed his trademark smirk. "But I'm taken." He didn't take his eyes away from the woman to look at Sam but Sam felt warm inside nonetheless.

"Oh I know that." She smiled at him.

"What have you done to him?" Dean demanded, pointing at Sam who was standing stock still and staring at them intensely.

"He's fine." The woman promised. "He wants very much to come over and make sure you're ok."

"So let him." Dean growled.

"I will." She nodded. "In a little while." She stepped closer to Dean and touched his cheek. Sam was amazed when Dean didn't step away. It was obvious that they were dealing with something, someone, supernatural now, and Dean didn't trust humans, never mind 'beings'.

"Christo." Sam heard Dean mutter, he couldn't see the woman's face but could tell from Dean's expression that she hadn't flinched.

"I understand why you don't believe there is good to counteract all the evil you've seen, Dean Winchester. A boy like you was bred in a world of fear and hate. But you've witnessed God's will before now." She caressed his face slightly and Sam watched in shock as Dean leaned into the touch. "For so long you have only had one wish. To keep your Sammy safe. To protect him from the evils you have had to face. The ones he thinks he knows but can never comprehend."

"Don't." A tear rolled down Dean's cheek. "Stop it now."

"And still you try to protect him. Give him everything he needs. Everything he wants." She wiped away the wetness on Dean's face. "So now I am going to give you a gift."

"You can't." Dean shook his head.

"I can." She argued. "And I am going to. I'm going to give you the family that you crave, Dean Winchester. To help right the wrongs that were done to you." She placed her hand on Dean's abdomen and his eyes widened as though he'd been stabbed. Sam resumed his efforts to struggle against whatever the hell was holding him so he could get to Dean and check he was ok.

"No." Dean protested weakly. The woman leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

"Have no fear." She smiled, caressing Dean's face once more. "It is God's will." She walked away from Dean who stared after her for a few seconds and then looked down at his own body in amazement, one arm wrapped around himself.

"Samuel." She reached up and touched his face lightly, with less reverence than she had touched Dean's but gently nonetheless. "You were born blessed." She told him. "Although it may not have seemed that way. Your brother was the greatest gift you could ever have asked for. You have now been blessed again. Take great care, Samuel Winchester, of the two precious burdens you have received. Your brother may not believe there is enough good in this world to conquer the evil, but he is a shining example of all that disproves his own theory." She smiled at both of them once more before vanishing.

"Dean!" Sam ran to his brother's side immediately. "Are you ok?" He asked, when Dean finally looked up at him.

"Did she just…? Am I…?" Dean stammered.

"I don't know." Sam kissed him softly, running his hands over him just to check he hadn't been hurt. Dean clung to him tightly.

"I can't have a baby, Sam." Dean looked up at him, eyes wet and full of fear. "I don't know how."

"You're not on your own, Dean." Sam kissed him gently. What were they supposed to do next?

"We need to get going." Dean said after a few moments of being held in Sam's embrace.

"You want to keep going to Aynor?" Sam asked, slightly surprised. Dean had never wanted to go in the first place.

"Yeah, I need to ask this guy if he saw…saw her." Dean nodded.

"I guess that makes sense." Sam nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

"You have a lovely home, Mr Gear." Sam's voice retreated as he went into the kitchen with the pregnant man's partner, leaving Dean and John Alcock alone.

Dean wished he had any idea what to say. They had been speaking to Mr Alcock and his partner for nearly half an hour and all they knew was that it was a shock, but a blessing. Dean rolled that around in his mind, remembering what Sam had told him of the conversation with the woman. He had to know if this guy had seen her too.

"Mr Alcock." He started hesitantly.

"John." The man corrected, his hand resting on his distended abdomen.

"John." Dean smiled. "You know, the strangest thing happened to us on the way here." He started. John looked at him. "We nearly ran over this woman. She was just standing in the road."

"Did she speak to you?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Do you know who she is?" John shook his head.

"I'd never seen her before in my life. About…About two weeks before I found out I was expecting, I was driving out to see my sister in Springfield and there she was, just standing in the road. I nearly hit her."

"Did she speak to you?" Dean asked.

"She said she wanted to give me a gift." He shrugged. "I don't know who she is. I'm not a religious man, it doesn't really fit with the lifestyle." He shrugged again with a bitter smile which Dean returned sympathetically. "But she said it was God's will. Did she say the same to you?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Pretty much."

"You should probably see a doctor then." John smiled at him. Dean forced himself to throw the man a cocky grin and watched his pupils dilate with lust. Pregnant and in a stable relationship or not, this guy was hot for Dean.

"Nah." He laughed. "I don't bottom." He lied, forcing the memory of the night before to the back of his mind.

"I haven't told Dave." John said of his partner. "I don't want him to think I'm nuts or anything."

"Sure." Dean nodded. "I won't say anything."

Sam came back into the room just then and thanked both men for their time.

"Good luck with everything." Dean said as they left.

"You too." John smiled at him.

"So?" Sam asked when they could no longer see the house in the rear view mirror.

"He saw her." Dean sighed. "What the hell do we do now?"

"We go to Bobby." Sam decided.

Dean was quiet on the journey to Bobby's and Sam hadn't pushed him, instead opening his lap top and adding Dean to his spreadsheet to see if it helped him figure out a pattern. The one thing he did find made his heart hurt and he resolved not to speak to Dean about it right away. He'd speak to Bobby when they got there.

"You want to stop and rest?" Sam offered.

"No."

"How about we stop for something to eat then, we've been driving for miles."

"There's some doughnuts in the back." Dean jerked his head.

"You should eat something with at least a bit of nutritional value." Sam tsked, grabbing for the bag all the same, it was better than nothing. "You have to…"

"I don't _have_ to do anything." Dean growled before he could finish his sentence. "If we keep going we'll be at Bobby's by dusk. If we stop we won't get there until the middle of the night, ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Sam agreed.

* * *

"Boys." Bobby greeted them warmly as always. "To what do I owe this visit?" Sam caught the worried glance he shot Dean who was dragging their bags out of the trunk. Dean did look pale and his smile was a weak imitation of his usual bright grin.

"It's kind of a long story." Sam replied.

"Let's go inside then." Bobby took them in to the big kitchen with its warm open fire, immediately pushing Dean into a chair closest to the fire to warm him up. He grabbed a bottle of whisky and took a slug before offering it to Dean who looked at it longingly before shaking his head.

"Shouldn't." He sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked sitting down and pointing Sam to the chair next to Dean.

"We were investigating these male pregnancies." Sam started.

"I told you we should have stayed the hell away." Dean glared at him before dropping his head back to his hands.

"I heard about those." Bobby nodded. "What made you think there was anything supernatural about them?"

"A weird hunch." Sam shrugged. Bobby nodded his understanding. "So we drove to South Carolina to meet this guy, one of the first that got pregnant." Sam continued, glancing at Dean who hadn't moved at all. "Just after we crossed the border we…we ran into this woman. Almost literally."

"Woman?" Bobby asked, sitting up straight.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I thought it might be a Woman in White at first but…it…she wasn't."

"What'd she look like?"

"Long dark brown hair. White dress, pale skin. Her voice was…kind of strange. She…I don't know, put some spell on me or something, I couldn't move. She was talking to Dean. She said she wanted to give him a gift and then she touched his…his stomach. Then she came to me and said I was blessed. That Dean was a blessing and now we had another blessing. Then she disappeared."

"She said it was God's will." Dean said quietly, still keeping his eyes firmly focused on the floor.

"You went to see this guy?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "He saw her too. She told him the same thing, about it being God's will."

"Well." Bobby frowned for a few seconds. "I guess the first thing we need to do in the morning is make a trip to the pharmacy. Before we worry about anything."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I guess we didn't really think about it." He shrugged.

"I'm gonna hit the sack." Dean said suddenly.

"Probably a good idea." Sam nodded. Dean glanced at him. "I'll be up in a couple of minutes." He promised. "I just want to show Bobby the database I made, see if he can see some connection I'm missing." Dean nodded, said goodnight to Bobby and made his way upstairs.

"What aren't you telling me?" Bobby asked giving Sam a penetrating stare that reminded him of his father before he pushed that thought away.

"I did find one connection between all the guys who got pregnant." Sam said quietly. "I only figured it out on the way here."

"You didn't tell Dean?"

"He won't talk to me about it." Sam replied. Bobby sat back in his chair at that. "A lot of the guys who got pregnant were…they were abused. Like Dean was. Not always by their…by their father but by someone."

"Not all of them?" Bobby asked.

"It's hard to tell. A lot of them are probably like Dean and refuse to talk about it. Refuse to really acknowledge it even happened. You knew about it?" He asked Bobby, suddenly wanting to know if Bobby had known and done nothing.

"Not when you boys were kids." Bobby replied softly. "Only found out a couple of years ago when you were in college. I guess without you around your dad had got less careful. Why did you think I chased him out of here with a shot gun?"

"What about Dean?"

"I tried to talk to him about it." Bobby nodded. "But he wasn't for listening. He said…He said your Daddy was all he had in the world. You hated him, didn't want to know him, and he didn't have anyone else. He would have done anything that man wanted just for some attention. He kept you safe too, Sam. You have no idea how lucky you are to have a brother like Dean."

"The woman…she said that. And she said, to Dean, that this gift was a way of righting all the wrongs that had been done to him. A way of giving him the family he craved. But…she knew we were brothers. She knew and….God, if Dean's pregnant there might be something wrong with the baby." Sam realised suddenly.

"Let's take this one step at a time." Bobby soothed. "We need to make sure that there is a baby first, and if there is we need to get a doctor involved."

"How?" Sam asked. "It can't be in the papers. Dean's still wanted for God knows how many things. And we're brothers."

"I thought something like this might come up." Bobby said, standing up.

"You thought Dean might get pregnant?" Sam asked, confused. Bobby laughed a little.

"No, son. In my wildest imagination I never imagined that. I meant I thought there might be a time when Dean might want to settle down a little. I've got a fake identity all fixed up for him. Social security number, birth certificate, education history, the works; and I think I know someone who we can trust to be discreet about this." Bobby patted Sam's shoulder. "You look beat, and you know that brother of yours won't sleep until he knows you're safe in bed with him. You go on up and I'll get a few things organised."

"Thanks, Bobby."


	4. Chapter 4

"It might not even work." Dean protested, shoving the box back into Sam's hands. "At most I've been pregnant for 48 hours!"

"Just do it." Sam tried to be patient with Dean but had a feeling he was failing miserably. "If it's negative we'll do another one in a few days. If it's positive…"

"If it's positive what?" Dean snapped. "You're going to throw me a baby shower and invite the family round to celebrate? Newsflash, Sam! There's only you and me. That's it. And we're brothers. Jesus, if I _am_ pregnant the kid's probably going to be born with two heads or something." Sam had to swallow back a laugh at the horrified look on Dean's face. Instead he pulled his brother's protesting body into his arms and held him tightly.

"If it's positive we'll find a doctor who can help. We'll do whatever it takes to make sure that this baby has everything it deserves. The woman…she said it was a blessing. A baby with two heads would be a pretty crappy blessing." He teased. "It'll be ok, Dean. We can do this together."

"I don't think I can." Dean shook his head, his face hidden in Sam's shirt. "I don't know anything about babies. I don't know how to be a dad."

"Hey. You practically raised me and I'm not a psychopath or anything." Sam kissed Dean's cheek. "You'll be a great dad and we'll learn together. But you need to take the test."

"Fine." Dean snatched the box out of his hand and stormed into the bathroom. "You wait out here." He slammed the door shut behind him.

"Convinced him to do it then?" Bobby asked. Sam nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Yeah." Sam grinned. "He never says no to me in the end."

"I've noticed." Sam blushed a little at the wry smile.

"Did you find anything?" He asked quickly.

"I think you're right about the abuse connection." Bobby said quietly. "There's too many for it to be a coincidence and even the ones where there's no documented evidence of child abuse there are other signs that suggest it might have been there."

"Great." Sam sighed. "So why is this…spirit or being or whatever the hell she is, why is she going around 'blessing' these guys with children?"

"That's the mystery. I don't know how we're going to solve it." Bobby shrugged. "I also looked into the different cases and a few reported seeing a woman on the highway a few weeks before they got pregnant. Sounds like a lot of the guys made police reports thinking she was just some dangerous nut job. If any have made the connection they're not saying."

"Well, they don't want people saying they're nuts do they?" Sam sighed. "What if it's…what if she wasn't being entirely altruistic?" He asked hesitantly.

"There's really no way to tell. I've been reading up on the first guy, his kid is due to be delivered by caesarean section in 2 months. Until then there's no way of knowing. Dean checked she wasn't possessed or a demon right?"

"He said Christo." Sam nodded.

"Then we'll just have to wait and see." Bobby said. "And pray." He added quietly as Dean unlocked the door of the bathroom. He was white as sheet and Sam rushed forward to grab him immediately.

"It's positive." Dean murmured. Then he passed out.

* * *

"Don't even think about it." Sam warned when he saw Dean attempting to get out of the bed.

"I have to pee." Dean glared at Sam.

"Fine." Sam let him get up and then walked with him to the bathroom.

"You're not coming in." Dean told him indignantly.

"I've seen you pee plenty of times before." Sam replied. Dean grumbled something Sam didn't hear but did his business anyway. "Ok, back to bed." Sam instructed when Dean had washed his hands.

"Come on, Sam!" Dean complained. "I've been in bed for two days."

"The doctor said you need to rest."

"Why can't I rest on the couch?"

"Because I said."

"Who made you boss?" Dean pulled the covers up to his chin and glared at Sam some more.

"It's 10.30, Dean." Sam soothed. "I'm coming to bed now anyway."

"Yeah, well _someone_ made me sleep all day so I'm not tired."

"I have a few ideas about how we can fix that." Sam gave him a lewd grin and stripped his t-shirt off, pulling it off over his head to see a flicker of interest in his brother's eyes.

* * *

Sam wet the wash cloth with cool water and then ran it softly over Dean's face.

"This is torture, Sammy." He complained.

"I know." Sam sank to his knees on the bathroom floor so he was on the same level as his brother. "Dr. Shaw said it'll only last a couple more weeks."

"Couple more weeks." Dean gripped Sam's shirt and got in his face. "Your damn kid is making my life a misery. I can't deal with it for a _couple more weeks._"

"It's _our_ baby, Dean." Sam soothed. "And you can deal with it. You've dealt with worse."

"That's what you think. I've been throwing up for three weeks. Nothing's ever taken this long before, and we're barely even out of the starting gate." Dean let go of Sam and slumped back against the wall. Sam managed to get in next to him and slip an arm around him. Pregnancy was not treating Dean well.

"Things will settle down."

"Bull crap. Nothing's ever going to be the same and you know it." Dean pouted. Sam couldn't help but smile a little, even though he knew Dean was correct. He didn't say anything to antagonise Dean further.

"You think you're done in here?" He asked.

"For now." Dean nodded, allowing Sam to help him stand. He rinsed his mouth at the sink and glared at his own reflection. "Will you still love me when I'm fat?" He batted his eyes at Sam, and used a teasing tone but Sam knew Dean was worried.

"I will love you 'til the day I day, no matter what." Sam told him, kissing him sweetly.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy." Dean grinned as they walked out of the bathroom. "I may be pregnant, but you are definitely the girl around here."

Sam grinned, resisting the urge to punch his brother in the shoulder the way he usually would at a remark like that.

"Jerk."

"Bitch." Dean grinned before jumping down the stairs two at a time, seemingly recovered, for the time being, from his lethargy and nausea. Sam couldn't help but smile, even as he silently reprimanded Dean for not being careful. It was nice to see that the old Dean could still shine through, even as everything he knew about himself was being challenged by their new circumstances.

Dean tried so hard to project this confident, ladies man appearance so that no one would see the vulnerable boy just underneath. His carefully crafted air of masculinity would be a thing of the past as soon as he started to show.

"I've been looking into it." Sam said, finding Dean in the kitchen and taking the bag of chips out of his hand.

"Hey." Dean pouted. "Into what?"

"Morning sickness remedies and prevention. Here." He handed Dean a ginger biscuit.

"I can't have chips but I can have cookies?" Dean asked, taking a bite nonetheless.

"It's ginger, it's good for you. You need to drink plenty of milk too."

"Anything's better than all the water you've been pumping me with." Dean had been increasingly irritable since Sam had confiscated his caffeine on the doctor's orders. "If I'm not in the bathroom throwing up I'm in there peeing."

Sam just smiled, pulling his brother to him. Dean looked up at him.

"I don't know where you got the idea that it's ok to manhandle me…"

"Shhhh." Sam kissed him softly. "You taste like ginger."

"Better than tasting like puke."

* * *

"Come on, Sam." Dean complained. The Doc said I was allowed to exercise.

"He said gentle exercise." Sam corrected, finally catching up to Dean and getting a firm hold on him. "He also said you need to take it easy."

"This is easy." Dean replied. "Wuss."

"Watch it." Sam kissed him.

"What?"

"What what?"

"You keep looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Your eyes get all squinty and you get this mushy look on your face…" Sam shook his head as Dean laughed at him. "Seriously, dude, you need to get a handle on that. Not going to pick up chicks with that expression."

"Then I guess it's a good job I'm not trying to, huh?"

"I guess it is." Dean grinned. "Because if you were, I might have to kick your ass, and the Doc wouldn't approve of that."

"No, I don't think he would." Sam agreed. "You ready to go back to the house now?"

"That depends." Dean took Sam's hand and started walking back in that direction anyway.

"On what?"

"On what treats you've got waiting for me when we get there." Dean grinned at him.

"You're really enjoying eating for two, aren't you?" Sam laughed.

"What baby wants, baby gets." Dean grinned. "What've you got for me?"

"Bobby ran to the store this morning so we've got another quart of orange juice." Sam promised. "And a bowl full of oranges, limes and lemons. I still don't know how you can eat those lemons without sugar."

"Sugar ruins the taste." Dean replied seriously.

"And he got some of those weird pickles you liked."

"Bobby takes care of me better than you do."

"That is not true!" Sam chased Dean into the house.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dean." Sam whispered. "Dean!"

"What?" Dean turned to glare at him.

"Why are you sulking?"

"I am _not_ sulking!" Dean replied. Everyone in the waiting room turned to look at them. "Well, I'm not." Dean told them.

"Dean." Sam placed a hand gently on Dean's leg. Dean's hand twitched but he didn't actually push Sam away. "What's wrong?" He asked gently. "I thought you were looking forward to the scan."

"I am." Dean told him through gritted teeth.

"Doesn't really seem that way."

"What if…" Dean paused. "What if something's wrong with…with the baby?" Dean whispered. "What do we do then?"

"There's no point worrying about that now. In ten minutes we'll know for sure and the doctor will tell us all the options."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence." Dean stood up as the doctor came out of his room and motioned them over. "Hey, Doc."

"Dean, Sam." Doctor Shaw was fairly young, mid thirties at most, and as Bobby had said, could be trusted to be discreet. "Sit down." He indicated two chairs in front of his desk and they did as they were told. "How are you feeling?" He asked Dean.

"Not bad considering the hell I was goin' through a few weeks ago." Dean shrugged.

"The morning sickness has mostly stopped." Sam added. "Unless he gets anywhere near the dog's food."

"That stuff stinks." Dean screwed up his face.

"Your olfactory sensors will be on overdrive right now." The doctor told Dean. "It's perfectly normal. Any discomfort?"

"Not really, except the need to pee really often." Dean sighed. "We only live an hour away from here and I had to stop twice. Hardly surprising with all the water Sammy and Bobby keep pumping me with."

"It's important for you to get enough water." The doctor nodded, taking Dean's blood pressure. "But don't over do it, Sam. We don't want his sodium levels to drop or that could be just as dangerous as dehydration." Sam nodded his understanding. "Perfect." The doctor told Dean who sent Sam a smug grin. "Ok, let's get you up on this table. Just take of your shirt and open your jeans." Dean did as told and hopped up onto the table.

"Shouldn't he be starting to show by now?" Sam asked, hovering close to Dean who rolled his eyes.

"We're only at 12 weeks, Sam. I would expect to see Dean showing within the next few weeks but from what I've looked into of the other male pregnancies, they didn't start to show in a big way until the third trimester."

"I am showing." Dean glared at Sam. "It normally goes in when I'm lying down. Look at it now! It's like a pot belly!"

"Dean's a little concerned about losing his looks." Sam joked.

"If I looked like Dean I might worry about something like that too." The doctor joked. Sam glared while Dean laughed. "But don't worry too much, Dean. The first man who fell pregnant, his daughter is over a month old now, and he said his body got back to normal pretty quickly. You're young and healthy, not to mention active, so I don't see any problem, especially if you keep up your exercise routine now."

"Oh he is." Sam shook his head.

"I'm only following what the doctor said I can do, Sam. No more, no less." Dean replied tauntingly. Sam bit back a glare. The doctor had been smearing cold gel on Dean while they were speaking and now moved a sensor over his abdomen.

Sam watched in interest as the implement ran over his brother's stomach, noting as he did that Dean was right and his usually concave stomach was flat, if not very slightly raised.

"Watch that screen." The doctor advised. Dean gripped Sam's hand tightly. "Ok. Heart beat sounds fine." He commented on the steady beat they could hear. He was silent for a few moments, focusing intently on the screen. "Everything seems absolutely fine." He told them, backing away from the bed and passing Dean some tissues to clean up with. When Dean was dressed they sat back at the doctor's desk. "Now, normally I'd say come in for another scan in a couple of months, as it is I think I'd like to see you at four week intervals just to be sure, what with you having…shared DNA." Dean nodded and so did Sam. He passed them stills from the scan and made an appointment to see them in four weeks.

In the Impala, gazing at the scan pictures, both brothers were silent for a while.

"He said it's ok?" Dean checked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Kind of makes it real, huh?"

"Throwing up for a month made it real for me, Sammy." Dean shook his head. "We should get back and show these to Bobby."

"You need to use the bathroom before we leave?" Sam checked.

"No." Dean replied. Then after short pause: "Actually, that's a lie."

* * *

"Hey." Sam stood next to Dean in the bathroom. "You ok?"

"No." Dean glared at his face in the mirror. "I'm getting fat."

"You are not getting fat." Sam pressed his front to Dean's back and slipped his arms round to rest his hands on Dean's expanding belly. "That's our baby in there."

"I'm getting fat." Dean pouted. "My ankles are swelling. I can't do any of the things I like to do."

"You can still do some of them." Sam kissed his neck and smiled at him in the mirror.

"I feel fat." Dean repeated, sniffling a little and then staring at himself in the mirror in horror. "And I'm turning into a girl!"

"You are not fat." Sam corrected yet again. It felt like they were having this conversation every day. "And you're not a girl, the hormones are just starting to build up a little."

"My skin hurts." Dean reminded him.

"I know." Sam kissed a naked shoulder gently. Dean had started to complain that everything made his skin itch. They had been to see Doctor Shaw that day for their second scan and he had assured them that it was entirely normal and just due to the fact that Dean's body was pumping more blood around which makes the skin more sensitive. "Why don't I rub some lotion on like he suggested?" Sam offered. Dean shook his head and pouted a little more. "Ok, well, how about I run you a bath. It'll help with the swelling on your ankles."

"Ok." Dean nodded and let Sam pull away to do that for him. 10 minutes later Sam settled Dean into the bath.

"You want me to stay?" He offered.

"No." Dean shook his head. "I want to wallow in peace without you trying to make me feel better." He gave Sam a small smile.

"Ok. Call if you need anything." Dean nodded and Sam walked out and down the stairs into the living room. He flopped down onto the sofa and took the beer Bobby handed him.

"How's he doin'?" Bobby asked.

"Bemoaning the loss of his figure." Sam smiled a little. "Feeling sorry for himself."

"He must be a little happier now you've got another scan under your belt to show everything's fine?"

"Yeah, he is." Sam nodded. "It's amazing how much it's grown since we got the last scan done."

"Gonna grow more'n that." Bobby advised. "Just go gentle with him, Sam. He's always had his looks to fall back on."

"I think he looks amazing." Sam shrugged. "I'm just not sure how to let him know that." It was true. Now that the disastrous first trimester, with its constant morning sickness and sleepless nights, was over, Dean had taken on a healthy glow and Sam now understood why people said pregnant women were glowing. His skin was clear and bright, his hair seemed to have gotten a shade lighter, and his eyes sparkled even brighter than usual. Dean's mood had improved slightly although he was starting to feel the effects of the hormones.

"I'm not looking forward to that boy's mood swings." Bobby said suddenly. Sam laughed.

"I think you just read my mind."


	6. Chapter 6

"It's a boy!" Sam came flying through the door to Bobby's house, waving a sheaf of photographs excitedly. "A boy, Bobby."

"That's great news." Bobby clapped Sam on the back. "Everything ok?" He asked.

"Yep. Still only one head." Sam grinned. "All fingers and toes present and accounted for."

"Speaking of present and accounted for, where's Dean?" Bobby asked.

"He was coming." Sam went back to the door immediately. "Dean?" He asked, finding his brother standing on the porch with one hand on his stomach. "You ok?" He asked worriedly.

"I think he just kicked." Dean looked up at Sam.

"You felt it?" Sam asked rushing to Dean's side.

"Yeah. There he goes again." Dean grabbed Sam's hand and placed it over his distended abdomen. "Feel it?" He asked.

"Yeah." Sam replied reverently.

"Bobby, get over here." Dean instructed. Bobby did as he was told and smiled almost immediately.

"Kid's gonna be one hell of a soccer player." He grinned.

Dean nodded. He'd felt the baby move before but never this vigorously.

"He's just like you already." Sam joked as they made their way back into the house.

"What?" Dean frowned.

"He's an attention seeker. He spent all day having his photo taken and now he wants more."

* * *

Sam woke up alone and immediately started to panic. Dean had been quiet all day, not that Sam and Bobby had been complaining. It had been a welcome rest from the sudden explosions they had come to expect from Dean. As expected his hormones had kicked in, and since he was so out of touch with his emotions, he'd had a hard time controlling them. He was happy one minute, yelling about something the next, then crying, then laughing helplessly. Sam couldn't keep up, but he knew no matter how tiring it was for him it had to be worse for Dean. Which was exactly why Dean shouldn't be wandering the house in the middle of the night.

"If he's on e-bay again I'm going to kill him." Sam sighed, pulling on a t-shirt. Dean had taken to looking on e-bay for things they might need for the baby. He'd already found a crib and a pushchair that he was happy with. Sam searched downstairs, beginning to worry when he still couldn't locate Dean. The Impala was still outside and Dean hadn't gone far from the house since he'd really started to show so Sam knew he couldn't be far away. He was about to go and wake Bobby when he noticed the door to what would soon be the nursery was slightly ajar.

"Hey." He pushed the door open, seeing Dean sitting with his back against the wall, bathed in the moonlight filtering in through the window. Bobby and Sam had spent the weekend clearing out the small room and cleaning it up so it would be ready when they wanted to decorate it, and when they started to get more things for the baby.

"Hey." Dean greeted, looking up at him and then back at his knees which were pulled up in front of him.

"You comfortable like that?" Sam checked. Dean just nodded so Sam took a seat next to him. "He giving you trouble again?" Sam placed his hand on Dean's stomach.

"No." Dean shook his head and sighed. "He's been pretty still." Dean had been complaining that their son seemed to be nocturnal because he moved most during the night, often waking Dean with a perfectly aimed kick to the bladder.

"You should be sleeping."

"Mmmm." Dean agreed.

"So what are you doing in here?" Sam slipped his arm around Dean and his brother leaned against him.

"Thinking."

"About what?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Everything." Dean sighed. "You, me. The baby." He paused and Sam waited patiently. Dean didn't like to talk about his feelings. He wasn't good at it and Sam knew better than to try and force it. Dean would say what he wanted to say in his own time and any attempt to hurry him along or get more out of him just led to him shutting down.

He rubbed his hand over Dean's stomach, feeling the pronounced curve. He couldn't wait for Dean to get really big, but he knew his brother was dreading it. There had been more than one hormone fuelled tearful outburst about how fat and ugly Dean felt.

"I'm just kind of worried." Dean admitted.

"Worried?" Sam frowned. "About what?" It seemed like a silly question. Dean was pregnant, expecting a child with his brother. He was obviously going to have concerns.

"Everything's different now." Dean looked at him, his eyes wide. "I'm different. It's just… I kind of had an idea how my life would go, y'know? I thought I'd carry on hunting, be with you. Probably get killed by some demon or something." Dean shrugged a little, looking away. "It's kind of hard to change your entire idea of your future."

"It's not so different." Sam kissed his cheek. "You're still going to be with me." He promised. "I might even let you hunt once in a while."

"Let me?" Dean scoffed.

"Maybe." Sam teased. "We've done a lot of good over the years, Dean. You especially. You've saved a hell of a lot of people, me included. It's your turn now."

"My turn to what?"

"To be happy." Sam kissed him. "You are happy, right?"

"Yeah, Sammy. Course I'm happy. I'm with you. I don't need anything else. I never did." Dean sighed. "Help me up?" He requested. Sam stood and pulled Dean to his feet. "These hormones are killing me man!" He complained.

Sam just laughed, allowing his brother to brush off the heart to heart. He knew there was more to it than hormones. Dean was going to have to face up to the change in his lifestyle sooner or later and it seemed like he just had. Sam was just glad that Dean hadn't pushed him away and had allowed him to help. Maybe he was beginning to get through to his brother. Wonders would never cease!

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?" Dean tilted his face to try and see what Sam was up to.

"He said he wants to try out a new look."

"So he's drawing on his face?"

"He's thinking about growing a goatee but he doesn't want to wait long enough to see what it'll look like."

"Well it can't look any worse than that." Dean grinned. "You need any help with dinner?"

"Naw. You go get your brother washed up. Neither of us is going to get much in our mouths if we're laughing at how ridiculous he looks." Bobby ordered. Dean nodded and walked down the back steps to his brother.

"Sam. Now, you know I love you right?" Dean asked, keeping his face completely serious. Sam turned to look at him, obviously surprised to see him there.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Good. So don't take this the wrong way. What in God's name do you think you're doing to your face?" Dean demanded. "Do not draw on yourself. Do not grow a goatee. And for God's sake don't decide to shave your head or something ridiculous."

"But Dean…"

"But nothing." Dean planted his hands on his hips and Sam had to fight not to laugh at how ridiculous he looked, especially when his t-shirt, Sam's really, had ridden up and was showing his protruding stomach. "I thought we already dealt with this. You got that job at the local community college. I thought that had taken care of your sudden need to be hunter gatherer."

"I just want to help." Sam pouted. "You're…You're doing all the work, and I know you're uncomfortable." Dean's stomach muscles had not taken kindly to being parted by the growing bump and his back had been aching non-stop for the past few weeks.

"You are helping, Sammy." Dean promised. "All the foot rubs and bubble baths. All the midnight trips to the store because I'm craving something sour. And now you have that job we'll be able to pay our way around here."

"I already spoke to Bobby about it, he won't take anything from us. Says we're going to need it when we start trying to turn that spare room into a nursery."

"Yeah, I know. I talked to him about it too. We can relook at it after the baby's born." He caught Sam's hand and pulled him close. "I really want to kiss you right now but I'm not doing it when you've got that crap all over your face." Dean laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean practically waddled into the living room.

"If you laugh at me I'm going to kick you in the back all night." He threatened his brother.

"Why would I laugh at you?" Sam leaned over to kiss him. "You…"

"Do NOT tell me I look cute." Dean growled. "Not if you want to keep your teeth."

"Hormones." Bobby mumbled from his slightly safer seat in the arm chair.

"What?" Dean whipped round to face him.

"I said it's time I made a start on dinner." He made a hasty retreat into the kitchen.

"You should probably try to be nice to Bobby." Sam offered tentatively. "He is letting us live here rent free." He was shocked when Dean's eyes filled with tears and his lower lip wobbled. "Dean?"

"You're supposed to stick up for me." Dean practically wailed. "Not let people pick on me. And not laugh at me behind my back!"

"No one is laughing at you behind your back, baby." Sam promised. "And Bobby's not picking on you. Neither am I."

"You're never here!"

"I know you don't like it when I go to work." Sam sighed. Dean's hormones had kicked in with a vengeance and it was an absolute minefield trying to guess what mood he would be in from one minute to the next. It was difficult to see his usually stoic brother so unpredictable and tied up in knots. Sam couldn't wait for the day their son was born, maybe Dean's hormones would calm down then. That day was looming on the horizon, only 6 weeks away. Dr Shaw had decided that he would be able to carry out the procedure at Bobby's house and they were all now just waiting anxiously for the day to arrive.

"I've booked two weeks off after the baby's born." Sam reminded Dean. "And it's Friday so I'm going to be here with you all weekend."

"Ok." Dean sniffled and then wiped his eyes impatiently. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologise." Sam kissed him.

"I can't wait for this kid to be born so I can stop being such a damn girl all the time." Dean sighed. Sam smiled and wiped the remainder of Dean's tears away. "Maybe we should help Bobby with dinner." Dean shot a guilty look in the direction of the kitchen.

"Sure." Sam nodded. "But you're not getting near the knives!"

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!" Sam called as he walked into the house after a long day at work. Who knew marking papers was so exhausting? 

"Hey." Dean appeared on the stairs, a smudge of something white on his face.

"You been working on the nursery again?" Sam asked, pulling Dean as close as possible for a kiss. Not as close as he would have liked since Dean's bump was now huge.

"It's done!" Dean replied triumphantly.

"Done?" Sam asked. Dean and Bobby had been working on the nursery while Sam was out at work and wouldn't let him see it. He'd been getting increasingly impatient and only the fact that Dean would be seriously pissed at him had stopped him from sneaking in there in the middle of the night. That and the fact that he wouldn't put it past Dean to have booby trapped the door and window. "Does that mean I can see it now?"

"Is it alright to bring him up, Bobby?" Dean yelled up the stairs.

"Sure." Bobby's voice floated down.

Dean grabbed Sam's hand and grinned at him, clearly excited. Sam waited patiently, walking behind Dean who had to take the stairs slowly now. Not this slowly though.

"You trying to kill me or something? I've waited forever to see this room!" Sam teased. Dean grinned over his shoulder and picked up the pace.

"Ok, close your eyes." He insisted. Sam did as ordered, feeling Dean take his hand and tug him forward. Sam walked, trusting Dean not to let him walk into anything. "Ok, open them NOW!" Dean said dramatically. Sam was already grinning before he opened his eyes. Dean had loved having a project to keep him busy, and all the baby books they had had said some kind of nesting instinct would kick in towards the end of his pregnancy. It certainly had. Dean had spent the last few weeks scouring ebay for second hand furniture and anything else he thought that the baby might need. With Sam's fairly generous pay check, and Bobby's out right refusal to take any money from them other than for occasional groceries, Dean had been able to indulge himself.

Sam gazed around what had been the untidy spare bedroom, stuffed with hunting and car paraphernalia.

"It doesn't even look like the same room!" He said. The walls had been painted light blue and the woodwork, including the floor, was white. The second hand crib Dean had purchased had been sanded down and painted white to match the changing table and small dresser. There was also a rocking chair which Bobby had dragged out of the basement.

Some shelves held a few stuffed toys that Sam had picked up and all the baby books they had been studying so closely.

"It's gorgeous, Dean." Sam kissed him. "No wonder it took so long."

"Some serious blood, sweat AND tears have gone into this place." Bobby grinned, nodding discretely at Dean when he said the last words.

"I can see that." Sam grinned. "It's perfect." He kissed Dean again.

"I'm glad you like it." Dean was grinning and it was obvious he was happy himself. "Now that this is done, there's one more thing we need to do before the baby's born." He said decisively. Sam and Bobby shared concerned glances. Dean had been like a whirlwind the last few weeks, demanding the whole house was cleaned to within an inch of its life, to the point where Sam had threatened to call in a cleaning crew. Nearly every room in the house was unrecognisable. The kitchen and living room were spotless and cosy, devoid of anything remotely related to hunting, except the devil's trap repainted on the ceiling. What had previously been the unused dining room was now Bobby's library come study with all of his hunting books and paraphernalia in there.

"What?" Sam asked, trying to sound as upbeat as possible. The baby was going to be delivered in two and a half weeks, they didn't have time for any more major overhauls, and Dean should be resting.

"We need to pick a name."

* * *

"The docs coming to get this sucker out in 3 days, Sammy." Dean glared at him. "Just pick a damn name." 

"Don't call our son a sucker." Sam reprimanded. They had been arguing over names for the past 2 weeks and instead of the list getting shorter it had just gotten longer. Dean had wanted to name the baby after Sam but Sam wasn't keen on that idea. Then Dean had mentioned naming the baby after their father, which Sam had flat out refused, as tactfully as possible. "We need to make this decision together."

"We don't like any of the same names." Dean argued, moving against Sam. It was nearly impossible for him to get comfortable now and he was counting down the seconds until the birth.

"We must be able to agree on one." Sam argued, bringing up the list of names on his laptop.

"Will you turn that damn thing off!" Dean demanded. "Staring at it's making my head hurt."

"But…" Sam began.

"Boys." Bobby shook his head at them. "You've been having this same argument for over 2 weeks. Sam, just shut that thing off, you know your brother doesn't like to work to rule." Sam did as he was told. The idea for the spreadsheet had been simple, they'd each come up with names they liked and put the initial of their name next to them, then they'd go through and see which names had two initials left and they would be on the short list. Unfortunately, they hadn't both liked any of the names on the list. "You need to resolve this."

"I did resolve it." Dean snapped. "I told Sam he could pick a name. He's the one that's been whining that he feels like I'm gonna be more connected to the kid 'cos I'm the one who's pregnant. Not like I asked her to knock me up. If she'd given me the choice I woulda told her Sam's more suited to being a girl." Sam sighed. "Don't sigh at me. Just keep still. I'm finally fucking comfortable for the first time in 3 days. Just don't move." Dean was leaning against Sam, his back supported by Sam's chest. "Just don't move and pick a freaking name already. And don't pick anything weird, I am not naming our kid Mozart or Blade or something."

"Blade was one of your suggestions." Sam replied smiling. Dean shifted restlessly against him. "Ok." Sam soothed. "I'll pick one." He fell silent for a few seconds. "Ok." He said slowly, nodding to himself. "I know what I want to call him."

"Care to share it with the rest of us, Sammy?" Dean asked, his tone a little softer now.

"Jack." Sam said certainly.

"Jack?" Dean opened his eyes but didn't move from his comfortable position to actually look at Sam. "You said you didn't like Jack." Dean reminded him.

"I changed my mind." Sam replied. Jack was a name that Bobby had suggested. Dean had liked it immediately

"Sam…" Dean sighed.

"You said I could pick a name."

"One _you_ liked."

"I do like it." Sam promised. "Jack Winchester. It's a good name. He could be anything he wanted to be with a name like that."

"Unlike Mozart Winchester who would be bullied so badly he'd never make it past kindergarten without having a nervous breakdown." Dean grinned.

"And unlike Blade Winchester, who was destined to be a serial killer." Sam replied, stroking a hand over Dean's bump.

"Good." Bobby nodded. "Now, I've got a couple of things to do out back. Can I trust you not to upset him too much?" It wasn't clear who he was speaking to.

"Yes, Bobby." They both promised, grinning at him. Sam ran his fingers through Dean's hair a couple of times, knowing it wouldn't be long before his brother started to feel uncomfortable and wanted to move.

"When the baby's born I'm going to help Bobby out with the cars." Dean told him.

"Ok." Sam nodded. Dean loved cars. In another life he would have made one hell of a mechanic. Maybe this was their chance at another life. That was what that woman had pretty much said. Righting all the wrongs that had been done to Dean, surely that included being raised as a hunter.


	8. Chapter 8

"Ok, Dean." Dr Shaw smiled at him supportively. "Just take it easy, ok? It'll take a little while for the anaesthetic to kick in and then things might start to feel a little weird."

"As long as it doesn't hurt like hell I'm all for it, Doc." Dean grinned. Sam tried not to shake his head. Dean was so obviously putting a brave face on it. He could tell his brother was nervous, not only about the birth itself but about their baby actually being with them.

"It'll be fine." The doctor assured him. Dr Shaw's wife, Susan, who conveniently was also the county nurse, was preparing the implements the doctor would need and Bobby was waiting downstairs anxiously.

"Sam?" Dean couldn't feel his legs anymore. The feeling of being out of control was startling and not something he would want to repeat in a hurry.

"It's ok." Sam said, squeezing his brother's hand to reassure him. Dean's eyes were wide and Sam didn't think he'd ever seen him look so scared, even when he'd been facing down demons and their evil brethren.

"I don't think I'm ready for this, Sammy." Dean hissed.

"Neither of us have much choice in that." Sam leaned down to kiss him. "Just relax. I got you, nothing bad's going to happen."

"Ok." Dean took a deep breath. "This is freaking me out." Dean confessed. He could see Dr Shaw moving and by the look on Sam's face he assumed they were preparing to make an incision but he couldn't feel anything below his diaphragm and he couldn't see anything due to the screen that had been put up to stop him panicking. Dean had assured the doctor that he'd seen his own insides enough that it wouldn't bother him, earning him a weird look from Susan, but the doctor had insisted.

"Alright, Dean. We're going to make the incision now. If you feel anything other than very mild discomfort I need to you tell me straight away." The doctor warned. Dean nodded but Sam glared at him, knowing Dean would never admit to being in pain unless it was serious.

"He will." Sam promised the doctor, catching Dean's eye. Dean just rolled his eyes childishly.

Dean saw Sam's eyes widen but couldn't feel anything at all, apart from his body moving slightly on the bed due to the movement of the doctor.

"Nearly done." Dr Shaw promised.

"Already?" Dean asked.

"It doesn't take long." The doctor replied absently. "Waiting for the anaesthetic to kick in is always the longest part. There we go." Dean watched as Sam's eyes got impossibly wide in his face and his mouth dropped open a little. "Welcome to the world, Jack." The doctor turned to grin at Sam and Dean. "Want to cut the cord, Sam?"

"Yeah." Dean watched as Sam did as he was told with shaking hands. The baby seemed to start screaming immediately after he cut it.

"See." Sam turned to smile at Dean. "I told you he was gonna be a Daddy's boy. He already can't stand to be separated from you." He leaned down to kiss Dean, taking note of his brother's pale, slightly shocky expression. He saw Dean struggling to push himself up on his elbows to try to catch a glimpse of the baby. "No, no." He soothed. "Susan's got him." He assured Dean. "Just wait for the doc to stitch you up and then you can hold him."

"Ok." Dean capitulated. It wasn't long before the doctor had cleaned Dean up and helped Sam get him propped up on a few cushions. Susan brought the baby over, cleaned and wrapped in a blanket and moved to pass him to Dean. "Maybe Sam should hold him first." Dean looked terrified.

"No." Sam told Susan. "If he doesn't hold him now he'll convince himself that he's too clumsy or something."

"Babies are tougher than they look." Susan assured him. Dean nodded and let her place Jack in his arms.

"Anyway, it's not like it's the first time you've held one." Sam pointed out. Dean looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded before looking down at the baby.

"He's…He…" Dean stuttered. "We need to get Bobby in here, he's probably going nuts down there."

"I'll get him." Dr Shaw promised. "Sam, why don't you come with me? We've got some champagne in the car to wet the baby's head."

Sam looked at Dean who was still gazing soundlessly down at their baby. Sam almost laughed as the baby's fingers wrapped around Dean's finger and Dean's eyes widened hugely.

"Sure." He guessed the doctor must want to speak to him about something.

He announced the details of the birth to Bobby who clapped him on the back, opening the bottle of champagne the doctor had bought when he advised them that Susan wouldn't let them have corks going off so near the new baby and Dean.

"He'll probably be feeling a little vulnerable for a while." He told Sam. "And I get the feeling that's not something Dean will be used to."

"Not at all." Sam agreed.

"The transition from pregnancy to parenthood isn't as easy as it seems, especially for the parent who carried the child."

"You think he might get depressed or something?" Bobby asked.

"Post partum depression hasn't appeared in any of the men who've had children so far." The doctor answered. "But he's likely to feel a little disoriented and vulnerable like I said. He'll be in a bit of pain for a few days too, it's important not to let him over do it but you can't exclude him from helping out either."

"Ok." Sam nodded. He understood why the doctor had wanted to speak to him but he was itching to get back upstairs and get his turn at holding Jack.

"Susan will be acting as Dean's midwife so she'll come by every few days to check on him and also to change the dressing. I'll come by myself to remove the stitches when they need to come out." Dr Shaw explained. "Ok, let's get back up there." He suggested, seeing how eager Sam and Bobby both were to get upstairs.

Dean was still staring at the baby, seeming unable to believe he was there with them.

"Sam?" Dean didn't look up when they entered the room but he'd spent so long with his brother he recognised his footsteps.

"Hey." Sam sat gently on the edge of the bed.

"It's your turn to hold him." Dean was whispering.

"Ok." Sam was nervous but what he'd said to Susan about Dean applied to himself too. If he didn't hold Jack now it'd likely take him a while to work up the courage. Dean moved to pass the baby to Sam.

"No, no." Susan tutted. "What did I just say to you about lying still while the stitches settle?" She smiled softly at Dean. "I don't think you heard a word I said."

"I did." Dean replied looking at her earnestly. She took Jack off him and got Sam sitting in the chair by the bed before handing him over gently and showing Sam how to support his neck.

"Dean's a natural." She advised Sam. Sam grinned at her, for some reason he was always happier when someone praised Dean than when they praised him. He took it just as personally. Dean blushed a little.

Bobby moved to stand next to Sam and Jack.

"He's real cute." Bobby grinned at Dean, shaking his hand heartily. "And if I remember right he looks just like you did when you were born." Dean looked a little surprised at that.

"You think so?" He asked. "I thought he might look like Sam." He sounded almost disappointed.

"Well, he certainly looks like he's going to have your fair hair." Susan commented, ruffling Dean's hair softly. "Now, swallow these down." She passed Dean some pills which he looked at dubiously. "Are we going to have a problem young man?" She asked.

"No, ma'am." Dean swallowed the pills immediately and Sam tried not to laugh. Susan reminded him of Ellen a lot.

"Now." Susan turned to Sam. "I was just telling Dean that he needs to take it easy, but I get the impression I need to tell you not him."

"Probably." Sam glanced fondly at Dean who rolled his eyes.

"He needs to be careful of his stitches. No heavy lifting, no over exerting himself. I'll be back in a couple of days to check on them both, but if you have any worries you can call me at any time, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sam, Dean and Bobby all replied. She smiled warmly at them as her husband returned with a bottle for Jack. He went to pass the bottle to Sam who shook his head.

"I think Dean should give him the first one." He insisted. Susan nodded, passing Jack back to Dean and watching as he gave the baby his first bottle. The baby latched on quickly, gazing up at Dean with wide eyes.

"He's definitely going to look just like you." Sam said looking at their son in awe. "His eyes, his mouth. He already looks like you." Sam was so glad their son would take after Dean. Dean had their mother's colouring while Sam favoured their father and he didn't want anything about Jack tainting by the memory of what that man had done to Dean.

"I love him already, Sammy." Dean looked up at Sam with wet eyes and Sam had to choke back his own tears immediately.

"Me too."


	9. Chapter 9

"Dean

"Dean?" Sam found his brother, as he'd expected, sitting in the nursery, watching Jack sleep. "How come you brought him in here?" He asked. They had a bassinette in their bedroom because Dean couldn't bear to be separated from their son yet.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged a little. "I don't like it though, he looks too small in the crib."

"So take him out." Sam slid onto his knees so he was level with Dean who was sitting in the rocking chair.

"Not supposed to pick him up when he's sleeping." Dean sighed. "And I can't. I'm not supposed to bend over so far to pick him up."

"I'll get him out as soon as he wakes up then." Sam promised.

"Thanks."

"You ok?"

"Tired." Dean admitted. Jack was only 3 days old and although he was apparently sleeping well, according to Susan who had been to visit that day, he was still waking his fathers up several times a night. Dean seemed to be more finely tuned to his needs than Sam, probably because he had carried him for almost nine months, and often managed to get him out of the room before Sam woke up fully.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Sam suggested. "I can watch him."

"No." Dean shook his head obstinately.

"You know what?" Sam stood up. "I'm just going to get him out of there." He decided. "I can do it without waking him up. Then we can take him downstairs and you can nap on the couch while he's in his bassinette, sound like a plan?" Dean just nodded which showed Sam exactly how tired he was. "Good." He scooped Jack up gingerly, as always amazed by how tiny their son looked against Sam's giant hands. The baby continued to sleep contentedly and Sam's heart ached a little. "C'mon." He murmured to Dean. They made it down to the living room without waking Jack and Sam tucked him into his bassinette securely. "Here." He sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to him, encouraging Dean to sit down. Dean sat, resting his head on Sam's shoulder.

"I love you." Dean murmured.

"I love you too." Sam caught Dean's lips in a chaste kiss. "I want you to do something for me."

"Anything." Dean was suddenly alert.

"You have to let me help out with the night time feeds a little more." Sam requested. Dean slumped back a little.

"You'll be back at work in a little while and then it won't be fair for you to have to get up with him."

"Hey." Sam nuzzled Dean's neck softly. "You had enough sleepless nights when he was kicking you in the bladder repeatedly. It's my turn to take on some of the work, ok?"

"If you insist." Dean nodded. Sam knew it was an empty promise and he was going to have to keep reminding Dean that he wanted to help.

"Boys." Bobby walked into the room, a sheaf of papers in his hand.

"Hey, Bobby." Dean gave him a tired grin and Bobby shot Sam a look that clearly said: _You should be taking better care of him._

"I'm trying." Sam sighed. Bobby just smiled and shook his head, knowing they'd figure it out between them eventually.

"Did Susan talk to you about registering the birth when she was here this morning?" He asked.

"She mentioned it." Dean nodded. "She said we've got two weeks after he was born to do it."

"Yep." Bobby nodded. "Normally you have to go down to the county office to register the birth, but Susan knows the registrar and she's going to see if he'll come out here to see you boys."

"That'd be great." Sam nodded. He knew Dean would be wary about taking Jack into the town until he felt ready himself.

"There's obviously a couple of problems we need to fix before we can register the birth." Bobby tried to approach the situation delicately. "What with you boys being brothers and Dean being wanted by the FBI." Dean smirked a little at that and Sam was tempted to pinch him but restrained himself. He didn't want Bobby telling tales to Susan. That woman was a force to be reckoned with.

"You said you had an identity set up for Dean." Sam remembered suddenly.

"I do." Bobby nodded, suddenly looking a little nervous. Sam felt Dean tense, he'd obviously noticed it too. "It's all right here. I've been checking it out over the past few days and all the proper government records exist." He handed over the sheaf of papers to Dean. "Here ya go. Drivers license, passport, car registration…" Bobby grinned as Dean's eyes lit up at that. "Medical records, high school diploma…" Sam snorted.

"Hey, I graduated." Dean glared at him.

"Barely."

"Well excuse me, College boy. Some of us had teenage brothers to feed and clothe." Dean snapped. Sam felt immediately guilty. Dean had worked numerous jobs while he was in high school to supplement their father's sporadic income. It was the only reason they'd been able to keep a roof over their heads half the time.

"I know, I was just kidding." Sam soothed.

"Well don't." Dean was obviously tired and not in the mood to deal with the past.

"Birth certificate." Bobby interrupted, knowing Sam would probably just dig himself into a deeper hole if he tried to apologise now. He held out the certificate to Dean who took it and looked at it, wondering what his new name was going to be.

"Singer?" He looked up at Bobby. "You made it look like you're my dad?" Dean read the name on the birth certificate.

"It made sense." Bobby stammered a little. "A lot of the favours I called in are from people around here so it would make sense that one of your parents lived here. I…If you don't want it we could figure something else out…" Dean stood and practically threw himself at Bobby, hugging him fiercely.

"Thanks, Bobby." He said quietly.

"Watch those stitches, boy." Bobby instructed gruffly, keeping a tight hold on Dean nonetheless.

"You don't…" Dean paused. "You don't have to do this, you know?"

"I know." Bobby replied certainly. "But you boys…You're the closest thing to a family I've had in a long time. And you…Dean, anyone would be proud to call you their son. I'd be proud."

"Thanks." Dean hugged him again, sounding choked. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I do." Bobby corrected.

Sam watched the emotional display in front of him, feeling a little choked up himself. The things Bobby was willing to do for them shocked him sometimes.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean wandered around the kitchen, making up bottles of formula for the next day and then moving on to fold the clean laundry

Dean wandered around the kitchen, making up bottles of formula for the next day and then moving on to fold the clean laundry. He had to fight the urge to run upstairs and check on Jack. Sam was sleeping in the same room, Jack was safe. Besides, Susan would go nuts if she heard he'd been running. The stitches weren't giving him any trouble really, he'd dealt with worse, but he was exhausted and really didn't want to deal with them bursting. He'd even been taking the pain killers Dr Shaw had left him, obediently following the doctor's orders, under Sam's watchful gaze of course.

He really wanted to sleep, to just curl up next to Sam and drift off, safe in the knowledge that everything was ok, but the emotions of the day meant he was wide awake. What Bobby had done for him…He didn't really know how to react to it.

Some of the happiest memories of his childhood, some of the only happy ones, were from the summers when their dad would leave them at Bobby's place for weeks on end while he would be off hunting something that was too dangerous to take them with him. Sam could lie around reading books to his heart's content without their dad demanding he do something more productive with his time, like learn exorcisms by rote.

Dean hadn't needed to worry about making sure Sam was fed, warm, happy. Bobby took care of all that. On top of that Bobby was the one who had kindled Dean's interest in cars. It was thanks to Bobby that Dean had been able to fix his baby up after the crash, had something to pour all of the emotions he didn't know how to deal with into.

Dean had always found Bobby confusing. He didn't seem to want anything from Dean, not like…not like his dad. When he took him out to work on the cars all he expected was that Dean listened and learned, and didn't talk back too much. Dean had always had a smart mouth but Bobby just used to grin at him, tell him he was like his mother. He never took his belt to him, never…never made Dean do anything.

Yeah, Bobby had been an anomaly in Dean's understanding of the world. Still was really. The man had committed god only knew how many felonies getting all that paperwork for Dean, and had implicated himself further by naming himself on Dean's fake birth certificate. It was pretty much like Bobby had just adopted him.

"Dean?" Dean turned around at the sound of Bobby's voice.

"Hey. I was just…" He swept his arm around the kitchen in a useless gesture.

"You should be in bed." Bobby chastised gently.

"Sorry." Dean figured Bobby probably wanted some time alone in his own house. Sam and Dean had been under his feet for almost nine months now. "Couldn't sleep. I'll go up and…" He wasn't sure why he was rambling now, suddenly unsure of himself around Bobby.

There had been a brief period of time when he had thought Bobby hated him. Wouldn't ever want to see him again, not after he'd caught him…caught him… Dean shook the thought from his head, he couldn't even complete it. He still hadn't been able to resist bringing Sam here when they needed help, even after Bobby had chased his dad away with a shotgun, and Dean with him.

"Dean?" Bobby asked gently. It was then Dean realised he was crying. He wiped at his face in frustration. "Here, sit down." Dean sat in the chair Bobby pulled out.

"Sorry." Dean said again. "Damn hormones." He wiped at his eyes as his emotions betrayed him.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, pulling out a chair to sit opposite him.

"Nothing." Dean replied, ready to lie to Bobby. Then he remembered that this man deserved the truth in a way that nobody but Sam did from Dean. "I was just remembering." He admitted. Bobby waited patiently. "I…I thought you hated me. Thought I was disgusting."

"You are not disgusting, Dean." Bobby replied vehemently. "Your dad…After your mom died, he lost it a little. Got a little sick in the head. You reminded him of her. He replaced her with you and that was wrong. I wish to God I'd figured it out before I did." Bobby sighed. He'd always known Dean's relationship with his father was a little strange, and the way Dean would do anything to stop Sam being alone with John…Bobby had always figured it for simple jealousy but he should have known better. "You know it's not your fault, Dean. You know that don't you?" Bobby asked suddenly. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Sam tells me all the time." Dean shrugged. "But he doesn't know everything…everything I…"

"Everything you did to protect him?" Bobby asked. "I understand why you wouldn't want to put that burden on his shoulders." He nodded. "You were always a strange kid." He shook his head with a smile. "Wouldn't go to sleep until you knew Sam had settled, wouldn't finish your meal until you were sure he was full in case he wanted your leftovers." Dean shrugged.

"He was my responsibility."

"But he shouldn't have been." Bobby said sadly. "You shouldn't have had to make sure he had the basic necessities to survive. You certainly shouldn't have had to protect him from your daddy like that."

Bobby would never forget the day he had walked in to see Dean on his knees in front of his father, tears streaming down his cheeks. He wished to God he'd just shot John dead then, but he knew Dean would never have forgiven him. Sam would have understood but John's death had shattered Dean.

"He did love you. I know he did. He just had a very warped way of showing it. There is no excuse for what he did to you." Bobby shook his head again. "It's amazing you're not some twisted fuck."

"Maybe I am." Dean looked up at Bobby and the older man was shocked by the fear in his eyes. "I just had a kid with my _brother,_ Bobby! What part of that is normal? What if I'm just like my dad and I'm hurting Sam? Making him do something he doesn't want to because he's too scared of being alone to say no."

"That boy ain't scared of you Dean. He worships the ground you walk on. And I know he made the first move in this whole thing."

"How do you know that?" Dean frowned. He didn't remember ever discussing this with Bobby.

"He told me himself." Bobby replied.

"When?"

"When I was telling him he better watch out for you or he'd be facing the business end of my shot gun."

"You said that?" Dean seemed so surprised that anyone cared enough to take Sam to task over him. "And he didn't run away screaming?"

"I'm more surprised he didn't run to _you_ screaming." Bobby laughed. "He took it better than I expected. Told me he was going to make sure you never got hurt like that again, that he was never going to walk away from you." Dean nodded. "You're not like John, Dean. You never were. You were always your mother's son. Your temperament, your sense of humour, your looks." He shook his head with a sigh. "Your life would've been a whole lot different if she'd lived."

"Different." Dean nodded. "Doesn't always mean better." He shivered a little, remembering his run in with the Djinn and the cool way Sam had looked at him. Like he didn't know him, or even want to. Dean rubbed his arms, hugging himself to try and warm himself up. He suddenly felt so cold. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"I was looking at something…on the internet."

"Should I be worried?" Bobby asked with a grin, glad when Dean relaxed a little.

"No…I…I guess it's something I've been worrying about." Dean admitted.

"What is it?" Bobby asked, immediately serious. Dean didn't admit to being worried easily.

"A couple of websites…they said that…" Dean paused and then took a deep breath. "That people who'd been abused turned into abusers themselves."

"Dean…" Bobby frowned.

"What if I do?" Dean asked. "What if I don't know any better? What if some sick part of my brain thinks it's normal and I hurt Jack? Bobby, I don't want to hurt him." Dean's eyes were swimming with tears again.

"Dean." Bobby leaned forward immediately. "You think you're capable of that?"

"I don't know."

"I do. If you were capable of it, if you didn't know it was wrong, you would have let your dad do to Sam what he was doing to you."

"Maybe I just started doing it myself." Dean was looking at the floor.

"Is that what you think?" Sam asked. Dean looked up suddenly.

"I didn't know you were there."

"Obviously." Sam moved further into the kitchen.

"I'm going to get off to bed." Bobby stood. "Take care of your brother, Sam." He instructed. Sam nodded, hearing the unspoken _it's your turn._

"Dean." Sam knelt on the floor next to his brother.

"One of us should check on Jack."

"He's fast asleep." Sam set the baby monitor Dean had made on the table. Dean scowled at it and Sam couldn't help but smile. "You want to tell me what that was all about?" He asked.

"What?" Dean wouldn't catch his eye. "I'm just…tired. And emotional. Susan said it'll go in a couple of days and I won't feel like such a freaking girl all the time."

"Good." Sam nodded. He knew Dean was looking forward to the hormones clearing out so life wasn't such an emotional rollercoaster for him. "But I don't think that's all this is. What you were saying to Bobby…Did you mean it?"

"It's just something I saw on the internet. It's dumb."

"Not if you're worried about it."

"Right now I'm worried about everything." Dean sighed. "It's out of control. I actually have a huge amount of sympathy for women. Must be hell to deal with this every month."

"You need to talk to me when you're worried about something."

"I don't like chick flick moments."

"I know. But we have to start communicating."

"Jesus, Sam." Dean pushed Sam's shoulders lightly, but he clearly wasn't actually pushing him away. "Don't be such a freaking girl, I can't deal with both of us being emotional wrecks."

"I'm not an emotional wreck." Sam sighed.

"I am." Dean looked at him earnestly. "Can we do this another time?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "Because you'll always find a reason not to discuss this." Sam sighed deeply again. "Fine. If you don't want to talk, just listen, ok?"

"Ok." Dean still didn't look happy about the situation.

"When we were kids I didn't realise what Dad was doing to you." Sam began. Dean opened his mouth but Sam stopped him immediately. "You said you'd listen." Dean nodded and closed his mouth again. "I didn't realise. I guess I was too young to figure it out. I remember a lot of things now that didn't really make sense back then but they do now. I was always confused, it was like I was trying to put a puzzle together and I had the edges but the middle was missing." Sam took a deep breath, he knew he wasn't making much sense and Dean wouldn't appreciate the metaphor.

"I used to get jealous when I'd come into your room and you weren't there. Or when we shared a room and I'd wake up and you were gone. When I used to find you in dad's room and you'd send me away…I used to get mad at you."

"You were just a kid." Dean interrupted. "You didn't know what was going on."

"You were a kid too, Dean."

"No I wasn't." Dean shook his head. "Not after mom died. I didn't have that luxury again. I had to fill the void that she'd left. For him and for you."

"It was wrong for either of us to expect that." Sam wanted to break down and cry but knew that was being selfish. "I didn't realise you were protecting me. Sometimes it was more obvious." Sam still shuddered remembering the number of times Dean had been beaten instead of him. Their father had never taken his belt to Sam, but only because Dean had stood in his way. "Whenever he used to go to beat me, you'd get in the way. Tell him it was your fault, that whatever I'd done you should have been keeping an eye on me."

Sam remembered being sent to his room when this happened, covering his ears so he couldn't hear Dean crying, begging his father to stop. _Please, Daddy, no! _He must have been 8 the first time his father had threatened to take his belt to him. The first time Dean had stepped in to take the punishment instead. That would have made Dean 12. 13 at the very most. It made him sick to think that Dean probably hadn't only been beaten that day.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Dean shook his head.

"I know." Sam kissed his cheek. "I know you don't."

"He's gone. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"Please, Sam…I can't do this now."

"Just listen, just a little while longer and then I'll let you go check on Jack, ok? I won't talk about the past anymore." He could see Dean glancing at the baby monitor every few seconds.

"Ok." Dean nodded.

"I don't want you to worry that you're hurting me. Or that I'm here because I'm too afraid to be alone." Sam began. Dean frowned, wondering how long Sam had been listening in to Dean and Bobby. "I'm here because I love you. Maybe to some people it's wrong because we're brothers but I don't care. Bobby obviously doesn't care." Sam stroked Dean's face. "I love you. You've given me everything, Dean. You protected me from things I didn't realise I needed protecting against. You protected me from myself, refused to give up on me even when I had. And now you've given me Jack. You have to just…" Sam paused to get his emotions in control. "You have to let me take a little bit of the weight now. Please? I need to be allowed to worry about you. To help take care of you. To help take care of our son. I want us to be a family."

"We are a family." Dean replied. "Me, you, Jack and Bobby."

"Exactly." Sam nodded. "The four of us against the world. Just let me help you out a little, Dean. I'm always going to need you, but I am never going to need protecting from you."

"You don't know that."

"I do." Sam insisted. "Because I know you."


	11. Chapter 11

"Susan says I can have my stitches out in a couple of days

"Susan says I can have my stitches out in a couple of days!" Dean beamed, walking into the room where Sam was feeding Jack.

"Great." Sam smiled back.

"Yeah. Then I'll be able to get out and help Bobby with the cars a little." Sam watched in amusement as Dean straightened things in the nursery, putting Jack's neatly folded clothes into the dresser. "Which is good news, because you go back to work tomorrow and this little fella, he's cute but he ain't much for conversation."

"I guess not." Sam couldn't help but smile. Dean's hormone induced emotions seemed to have cleared up and his brother had been in a constantly sunny mood for the past few days. Sam loved Dean in a good mood, it made his eyes sparkle bright green, and he'd never get tired of having that blinding smile sent his way.

"You gonna put him down for a nap?" Dean asked.

"When I've burped him." Sam nodded.

"Great, because I was thinking me and you could use a little one on one time." Dean kissed him loudly on the cheek and sauntered out of the room. Sam grinned to himself. With the departure of Dean's hormones his pre-pregnancy sex drive seemed to have reappeared. All in all, Sam's life was very good.

BREAK

"Hello?" Dean picked up the phone quickly, peering into the bassinette to check it hadn't woken the baby.

"Dean?"

"Ellen?"

"The one and only."

"Hey." Dean grinned. "It's great to hear from you."

"You too. You and Sam kinda dropped of the radar for a while there."

"Yeah, we've been kinda busy." Dean replied, unable to hide the smile in his voice.

"So I hear." Ellen laughed. "And I guess congratulations are in order."

"Ummm…what?"

"Bobby told me." Ellen reassured him.

"Oh, ok. Thanks."

"No problem. Just know that the second I get chance I'm gonna be on my way to South Dakota to see you guys. If he looks anything like you boys he must be one handsome son of a gun."

"He's cute." Dean admitted.

"Now, it's not like you to be modest, Dean Winchester." Ellen laughed. "Or should I say Dean Singer?" She asked slyly.

"Bobby told you that too?" Dean asked. He hadn't realised Bobby and Ellen were in contact. "Are you sure you'd be coming up here to visit Jack and not…someone else?"

"You keep your mind out of the gutter, boy." Ellen laughed good naturedly. "Is he around?"

"Yeah, he's out back. I'll just get him for you." Dean carried the phone to the back door. "Bobby!" He hollered. "Your girlfriend's on the phone." He grinned when Bobby looked confused.

"Who is it?" Bobby asked.

"Sorry, Ellen, looks like you're not his one and only." Dean said into the phone.

"Give that here." Bobby snatched the phone off him. "Hi, Ellen." Dean grinned impishly and sauntered back into the house to give him some privacy. "Oh, yeah, he's back to his usual self already." He heard Bobby grumble, the fond tone meaning Dean didn't bother to be offended. He couldn't wait for Sam to get home so he could tell him the gossip.

"I really need to get out more." Dean sighed, sitting down on the sofa. Sam wasn't due home for a couple of hours and Jack had only just fallen asleep so Dean decided he might take a nap too.

* * *

Dean sang softly to Jack as the baby suckled happily on his bottle. Life was pretty good. Jack was about to take a nap and Sam was due back from work anytime which meant maybe Dean could drag him upstairs…and then take a nap of his own. Actually, screw that, Bobby had a 1969 Camaro out back that he'd said Dean could work on. Try to ease himself back into working on cars. Dean grinned to himself, Bobby just wanted Dean to do all the hard work so he could have a classic car too, not that Dean minded. So yeah, Sam would come home while Jack was sleeping, Dean would let him know how much he…appreciated him, and then he'd go and take a look at that car.

"Now that is not a sight I ever thought I'd see." He looked up, immediately on his guard.

"Jo?" He relaxed a little. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"My mom dragged me out here to take a look at him." She nodded at Jack who Dean was now winding.

"His name's Jack." Dean pointed out.

"Ok." Jo shrugged. Dean frowned a little, focusing his attention on Jack and ignoring Jo. She'd always been a little strange, blowing hot and cold. "So where's Sam?"

"At work."

"And what are you?" Jo asked with a smirk. "Susie home maker?"

"I'm helping Bobby out with the cars." Dean refused to rise to the bait.

"Speaking of Bobby." Ellen appeared. "He's out back, why don't you go say hi to him, Jo?" Jo nodded and left.

"What's her problem?"

"She had a fight with her boyfriend." Ellen shrugged. "And then she found out that the hot guy she's had a crush on for a couple of years now just had a baby with his brother." Dean shrugged.

"Sucks to be her."

"She'll get over it." Ellen smiled at him. "Guess we picked a bad time to arrive?"

"Yeah, he's just ready for a nap." Dean tucked Jack carefully into the bassinette.

"He's gorgeous, Dean." She cooed.

"Thanks." Dean couldn't help but smile.

"Give me a hug then." She instructed. Dean did as told. "I see you got your figure back!" She exclaimed. "How old is he?"

"3 months tomorrow." Dean answered.

"Damnit. Took me nearly a year after Jo was born to get rid of all my baby weight."

"Must just be lucky." Dean shrugged.

"It's more like the fact that you never sit down." Sam's voice added from the door. "Hey, Ellen." He gave her a hug.

"Hey, Sam. You look good."

"Thanks." He grinned at her.

"I've just been admiring this little guy." She grinned. "He looks just like Dean."

"I know." Sam grinned back, Ellen couldn't help but see how happy he was with his life. "Wait 'til he opens his eyes. They're exactly the same colour and shape as Dean's."

"They are not." Dean argued.

"They are." Sam told Ellen who just smiled. "You look tired." He kissed Dean softly. "You should take a nap."

"We've got visitors, Sammy." Dean grinned. "Jo's out back."

"Oh. Wow, I haven't seen her since…" He stopped, unsure how much Ellen knew.

"It's ok, Sam." She assured him. "She knows you were possessed and so do I. Bobby explained it to me."

"Told you." Dean crowed.

"You behave yourself, boy." Ellen warned. "Don't think just because you're a father now I won't take you over my knee." Dean just grinned and led the way through the kitchen to where Bobby and Jo were waiting outside, but Ellen didn't miss the way Sam frowned at her before he turned on the baby monitor and slipped it into his pocket. "I'm just kidding, Sam." She assured him.

"I know. Sorry, I'm just…"

"Feeling a little protective?" She slapped him on the arm playfully. "Things sure have changed."

"Is Jo…Uh…" Sam stuttered over his words. "Is Jo upset with me? About Dean?"

"Sam." Ellen sighed, shaking her head. This boy was too sensitive for his own good. "With all you boys have had to overcome, I think her being a little jealous should be the least of your worries."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"So what are you gonna do? Hand him over?"

"Hell no." Sam replied.

"Good. If Joanna wants to be treated like the adult she keeps insisting she is she'll get over herself and be happy for you guys. This situation's nothing like ordinary and she's adamant that she can deal with the unexpected. This is just another test."

"Thanks." Sam checked on Jack one last time before heading out to the back porch to find Dean pouring out lemonade.

"You made lemonade?" Ellen asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nope." Bobby grinned. "Dean did."

"He was craving citrus fruit when he was pregnant." Sam explained. "We ate lemon meringue pie a whole lot too."

"I didn't know you could cook." Jo looked at Dean.

"Not much to it." Dean shrugged. "It's not my favourite pastime but Sammy was picky as hell when we were kids. Actually, strike that, he's still picky."

"Must be nice for you, Sam." Jo smiled at him sweetly. "To come home from work and have your dinner waiting for you."

"I'm trying not to get used to it." Sam refused to rise to the bait. "As soon as he gets going on that Camaro cooking will be a distant memory."

"Count on it." Dean agreed. "I can't wait to get moving with it. Should be done in no time." He eyed the car longingly. "It'll probably take longer then the Impala though."

"How come?" Jo asked. "Doesn't look in such a state."

"I have other priorities now." Dean shrugged. "Can't just drop everything as soon as the part I need arrives."

"Too true." Ellen nodded. "Kids are a blessing, but they take a whole lot of energy. Is he a good baby?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Pretty much sleeps through and hardly ever cries." He grinned. "Doesn't like being separated from his daddy though."

"Not that daddy does much better." Bobby laughed. Dean blushed a little.

"I'm out here aren't I?" He pouted.

"We could barely get him to leave the room until he was about a month old." Bobby grinned. "He always did have a huge protective streak."

"You need to these days." Ellen patted Dean's knee, seeing he was beginning to look a little put out. "Especially when you know what's out there."

"Exactly." Dean nodded. "Sam thinks I'm weird."

"I do not think you're weird." Sam sighed. "I just think we're gonna have a real hard time when he goes to school."

"You'll get used to loosening the apron strings a little." Ellen promised. "It gets easier."

"I hope so." Dean slumped in his chair a little and yawned.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Ellen suggested. "I'm sure Bobby can keep me and Jo entertained." Dean nodded, standing up and holding his hand out for Sam who excused himself politely and followed his brother into the house.

"This is nuts." Jo shook her head.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I was sitting on a porch drinking Dean Winchester's home made Lemonade." Ellen agreed.

"I don't reckon it'll last much longer." Bobby replied. "He's been cooped up here for nigh on six months now. He'll be desperate to get out sooner or later."


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm gonna run into town for some groceries and a few things I need to pick up

"I'm gonna run into town for some groceries and a few things I need to pick up." Bobby told Dean.

"Can I come?" Dean asked quickly.

"You want to go into town?" Bobby checked he'd heard right. Dean had refused to go into town once his baby bump had become obviously noticeable, insisting that Dr Shaw had come to see him for any appointments that were needed. He also hadn't wanted to take Jack into town, until now apparently.

"Yeah. If you don't mind." Dean shrugged. "It's just…I guess after Ellen and Jo visited I realised how isolated I've made myself. I'm kinda goin' a little stir crazy"

"Yeah." Bobby agreed whole heartedly. "Trevor called and said the carburettor for the Camaro's arrived. We can pick that up too."

"Cool." Dean grinned happily. "It'll be good to put a face to the name."

"You would've met him eventually." Bobby replied. "He won't be able to resist coming and taking a look at her."

"I wouldn't either." Dean shrugged. He pulled Jack's pushchair out of the hall closet and stuck it in the trunk of the Impala. Their weapons had been moved inside for safe keeping so there was plenty of space. Bobby settled Jack into his car seat while Dean collected the various things he might need for the baby while in town. "I've missed you, baby." He purred to the car. He'd barely driven it in the six months he'd been under self imposed house arrest, allowing Sam to take the car to work now and then to keep the engine in good order.

The drive to town wasn't a long one and they were soon unloading the pushchair and tucking Jack in securely. He smiled up at Dean happily and Dean couldn't help but smile back, listening to the small gurgling noises the baby had recently started to make.

"You wanna leave or somethin' just let me know." Bobby instructed.

"Leave?" Dean frowned. They'd only just arrived.

"Might be tough getting used to being around all these people again." Bobby replied gruffly. He and Sam had been considering staging some kind of intervention if Dean didn't get himself out of the house soon. Sam had expressed his concerns that if they left it much longer they'd never be able to get him out of there. Bobby had had more faith in Dean's strength of character but he wanted the younger man to know he didn't have to push it.

"I'm fine." Dean replied honestly.

"Ok. Just don't growl if anyone gets too close, ok? This is a small town."

"What's that mean?"

"Means people are talking about my son who's just turned up at my door with a baby and a male partner." Bobby replied.

"I didn't know people have been giving you crap." Dean frowned.

"I didn't say they had. They've just been clamouring to meet you." Bobby reassured him, clapping him on the shoulder. "What with me having lived here so long and Sam working at the college, they've heard a lot about you. Luckily a couple of 'em remember you and Sammy being around when you were kids. Just told 'em you grew up in Kansas with your mom and came to visit in the summer."

"Ok." Dean nodded, digesting the information in case someone brought it up. "What'd you say about Sam?" He asked.

"Just that Sam's mom and your mom were real good friends and I was good friends with Sam's dad." A cloud seemed to pass over Bobby's face as he said that. "Not much else." Dean nodded and they set off walking towards the general store.

"Dean!" Dean turned around to see a petite brunette running towards them.

"Hey, Susan." He grinned at her.

"It's good to see you out and about." She patted him on the arm. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good." Dean promised. He'd only seen her a week ago so she could weigh Jack. She peered into the pram and cooed a little at the baby who smiled and gurgled back.

"I always forget how cute he is until I see him." She laughed. "Best looking baby this county's seen in a long while." Dean blushed a little. "If you're going to be coming to town more often it might be easier for you to pop into the surgery a couple of times a month to get him weighed." She suggested. Bobby knew Sam had raised his concerns about Dean's isolation with her and this was clearly her way of encouraging Dean to get out and about more.

"Sure." Dean nodded.

"You still call me if you have any problems." She insisted. "I better get back." She indicated the surgery over her shoulder. "I just wanted to come out and say hi."

"Ok." Dean nodded. "Shall I call when I want to bring him in?" He asked.

"Nah. I've always got time for you boys. I'll see you in a week or two?"

"Sure." Dean nodded again.

"Bye, Bobby." Susan smiled and rushed back into the surgery. Bobby smiled and tutted to himself.

"What?" Dean asked, beginning to walk towards the store again.

"She sure has a soft spot for you." Bobby laughed. "That woman's feared three counties over but she comes running out just to say hi to you."

"Nah, she just wants to say hi to Jack." Dean argued. "You know what you need to get?" He asked as he manoeuvred the push chair into the store.

"Just a couple of things." Bobby replied. He did his main grocery shop at the supermarket the next town over but he liked to support the local store too. "Hey, Ned." He greeted the white haired man who approached them. Dean couldn't help but think he looked like a storekeeper from some old fifties TV show with his neatly pressed apron.

"Bobby. This your boy?" He asked.

"Sure is." Bobby nodded. "Dean, this is Ned. Ned, Dean."

"Good to meet you, sir." Dean shook his hand.

"A youngster with manners." Ned smiled at him. "That's what I like to see. Must have raised him right, Bobby."

"I hope so." Bobby nodded.

"Your Sam was in here yesterday." He told Dean who couldn't help but be a little surprised at how well he seemed to accept the fact that he and Sam were together. "He's a nice boy. Talks none stop mind you."

"He always has." Dean nodded. That sounded just like Sam.

"Let me get a look then." Ned insisted, leaning over the pram to look at Jack. "I've heard more about this baby in the last couple of months than I ever did about my own kids." Dean looked at Bobby who just grinned and shrugged a little. "Well, if he ain't just the spitting image of you." Ned exclaimed. Jack smiled at him suddenly and he laughed loudly. "You must be proud as heck, Bobby."

"Oh I am." Bobby assured him.

"I'll let you get back to it. Call if you need anything."

"We will."

"I think I remember him from when we used to come here in the summer." Dean murmured, following Bobby around the store.

"Probably." Bobby nodded. "He's had this place as long as I can remember." They paid for the few things they needed and said goodbye to Ned. "Ok, we can head over to the garage and pick up the carburettor now."

"Cool." Dean nodded. The garage was on the way back to Bobby's house so they settled Jack back into his car seat and set off there.

Trevor came out of his workshop as soon as they pulled onto the forecourt. He was about the same age as Dean and built like a lumberjack. He would have given Sam a run for his money in height.

"You must be Dean." He stuck his hand out and Dean shook it. "Damn fine car you've got there. I keep tryin' to convince Sam to bring her in here for a tune up but he says you don't let anyone else touch her."

"Damn straight." Dean nodded. "She doesn't need tuning up. It's just the way Sam drives." He added.

"You gotta nurture a car like that."

"I know." Dean agreed. "That's why he's been relegated to driving one of Bobby's trucks."

"Now, now." Bobby interrupted, seeing Trevor getting ready to ask something else about the car. "We don't got all day, Trev, and this boy just won't stop if you get him started about that car."

"Nothin' wrong with that." Trevor grinned, disappearing into his workshop for a few seconds and returning with a brown paper package. Bobby paid him, ignoring Dean's protests.

"That car's mine when it's done." He reminded Dean. "You're just free labour."

"You mind if I maybe come and help you work on it sometime?" Trevor asked Dean, somewhat shyly.

"Sure." Dean nodded. Trevor knew what he was doing according to Bobby. "I might even let you get a look under the hood of the Impala." He offered. Under his watchful supervision of course.

"Great." Trevor nodded enthusiastically, walking over to the car with them. "That Jack?" He asked, nodding to the baby who was sitting quietly in his car seat.

"Yeah." Dean opened the door and the baby immediately smiled at him.

"I can see the family resemblance." Trevor nodded. "Although I guess you guys must get your looks from your mom 'cause you sure didn't get 'em from Bobby."

"You hold your tongue, boy." Bobby laughed. "Don't forget I know your momma."

"I'll send her your love." Trevor grinned.

"Well." Bobby laughed as they drove away from the garage. "I don't believe it."

"What?" Dean asked.

"You already have half the town wrapped around your little finger." Bobby shook his head.

When Sam arrived home he listened eagerly to Dean's tale of his trip into town, loving how amped up his brother was over such a simple thing.

"Well, maybe if you're feeling up to it this weekend we could go into town for some lunch?" He suggested.

"Sure." Dean nodded. "As long as I'm…"

"Not working on the Camaro." Sam finished his sentence. "Don't worry, I know my place." He grinned at his brother. Dean grinned back before disappearing upstairs to put away Jack's clean clothes. "Did he really decide he wanted to go into town?" Sam checked with Bobby.

"Yup. I mentioned I was going and he just up and asked if he could come." Bobby nodded. "I told you he'd be fine. He's just not as much of a social person as you, Sammy. Your momma was just the same. Happy at home with your daddy and you boys. It was always a fight to get her out of the house."

"Now we just have to get him out of the house without Jack." Sam smiled down at the baby he had in his arms. "You have your daddy just where you want him, huh?"

"One thing at a time, Sam." Bobby warned. Dean had yet to be away from Jack for any significant amount of time.


	13. Chapter 13

"What are you two up to

"What are you two up to?" Sam asked curiously, walking into the study where Dean and Bobby were pouring over something on the desk. Bobby quickly moved to put his hand over what they were studying.

"Is that the time already?" Dean looked over Sam's head to the clock. "Damnit. I have so much to do." He shook his head, giving Sam a distracted kiss as he walked past him, Jack in his arms.

"Anything I need to know about?" Sam asked Bobby.

"Nope." Bobby shook his head. Sam decided to drop it for now knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of the older man.

"You need any help?" He asked Dean, finding him in the kitchen.

"Yeah, here." He passed Jack to Sam. "I kinda want an early night tonight so I'm gonna make up his bottles now."

"You ok?" Sam checked.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Just tired." He proved his point by yawning widely. "Didn't take a nap today."

"Working on the car?" Sam grinned, pausing in the stream of baby talk he'd been directing at Jack who was just smiling at him widely.

"Yup." Dean grinned at him. "Trevor brought over the new seats. Gonna fit 'em next weekend."

"What's happening this weekend?" Sam asked. It wasn't like Dean to put something off, not when it was related to his project of the moment.

"I wanted to talk to you about that." Dean turned to face him, drying his hands and a towel.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Sam sighed. "I can't wait for you to get old enough to talk." He told Jack, kissing him on the head. "Then you can rat Daddy and Bobby out when they're cooking plans up behind Papa's back."

"Grandpa." Dean corrected. "Not Bobby. And we weren't doing anything behind your back. You just happened to be at work when it came up."

"And what exactly is 'it'?" Sam asked, sitting down and settling Jack onto his lap.

"A poltergeist." Dean admitted.

"A poltergeist?" Sam should have known this was something to do with hunting.

"It's only in Iowa." Dean replied. "Only just over state lines really. I probably won't even need to stay over night." He justified. "It's just that Bobby knows the family and this sucker's making their lives hell and he's done so much for us, I…"

"Dean." Sam interrupted. "If you really want to go I'm not going to stop you." He promised.

"Yeah, but are you gonna lay a guilt trip on me?" Dean asked.

"No." Sam promised. He'd known a time was going to come when Dean was going to want to get back into hunting in some capacity. They'd even discussed it briefly. He should have known it wouldn't take long after Dean had got himself out of the house for him to decide he wanted to go on a hunt. At least he was planning to get back into it slowly. Poltergeists could be irritating and messy but they rarely caused any serious physical damage. "If it's only just over state lines you won't even be gone for the whole weekend."

"No," Dean agreed. "I'll probably drive out there on Friday and be back Saturday."

"I'd rather come with you." Sam sighed. "But there is no way in hell we're taking Jack…"

"Of course not." Dean interrupted.

"So I'll stay here and take care of him with Bobby. On one condition."

"What?" Dean looked suspicious. This was obviously going better than he had expected.

"If you get into any trouble at all you call me and either me or Bobby will come up there."

"It's just a poltergeist, Sammy."

"It's not just anything. We both know to expect the unexpected when it comes to the supernatural and I do not have to want to explain to Jack that we lost you because you were too damn stubborn to pick up the phone."

"Ok." Dean nodded. "I'll call."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

That Friday Sam helped Dean pack what was needed into the Impala and then they stood on the porch to say goodbye.

"I'll probably be back before morning." Dean reminded Sam as he passed Jack to him.

"I don't want you driving if you're tired." Sam replied. Dean just nodded.

"Be good for Papa." He told Jack who smiled at Dean and held his arms out to go to him. "No, no." Dean frowned a little.

"We'll be fine." Sam promised. "If you don't go now you'll never leave." He kissed Dean. "If anything comes up I'll call you".

"Ok." Dean nodded. He kissed Jack, grinned at Bobby and got into the Impala, leaving quickly. Jack began to wail immediately.

"Hey, hey." Sam soothed, bouncing the baby a little. "He'll be back before you know it." He cooed. "And me and Grandpa are here."

Jack calmed down quickly when Sam found his pacifier and distracted his attention with one of his favourite noise making toys.

"He'll be fine, Sam." Bobby assured him.

"I know."

"Relax then. You're a bundle of nerves. No wonder he's fretting." He nodded at Jack who although not crying wasn't quite his usual sunny self. "He's picking up on your mood."

"Yeah." Sam nodded, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. Dean had promised to call when he reached his destination so hopefully they'd be hearing from him in two hours or so. Maybe not even that the way Dean drove when Jack wasn't in the car.

Dean checked in as promised and solemnly swore that he would be careful. He also asked about a million questions about how Jack was getting on without him, even insisting Sam put him on speaker phone so he could say goodnight to his son before Sam put him to bed.

When Dean hadn't called by midnight Sam decided to go to bed. He kept his mobile turned on on the bedside table so if Dean called he wouldn't miss it. Jack was sleeping soundly in the bassinette on Dean's side of the bed.

"Sam. Sammy!" He woke when something heavy landed on top of him and planted a kiss on him. He opened his eyes immediately, suppressing his instinct to struggle when he realised it was Dean.

"Hey." Sam kissed him back. "How'd it go?"

"Amazing!" Dean grinned at him. "It was text book. The house is a total mess, I don't know what they're going to tell the insurance company. It was so cool though, Sam. The rush, y'know?"

"Yeah." Sam panted. All the while Dean was talking he had been stripping off his clothes and punctuating his words with little bites and kisses to Sam's neck.

"Only would have been better if you were there." Dean paused to kiss Sam deeply. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Sam smiled kissing Dean. His brother always got a rush after a hunt and this was something special since it had been a year since Dean had been allowed to hunt anything at all. The adrenaline was clearly coursing through his body and Sam for one was not complaining.


End file.
